WILLOW, Alaska – Working as a musher for sled dogs in one of the world’s most famous races truly is an art form.

It’s just not among the fine arts, the degree Matt Failor earned at Ohio State in 2007. Instead of studying Picasso or Rembrandt, he monitors canine breeding patterns and structured diets. Rather than prowling museums and libraries shepherding students, the Ohio native works in inclement weather and herds dogs.

“My original intent was to go into business with my brother Ryan. He came up with a loose plan to have an Art Shop, sell our work. He was the painter, I was the photographer,” Failor said. “My aunt is a photographer, my uncle is a professional artist, my brother Ryan is now the art teacher at (Mansfield) St. Peter’s. (There are) many different artists in the Failor family, (so) I thought I would be another one.”

But a summer job changed his destiny and catapulted a lifelong Midwest resident into the unique life of an Alaskan dog musher.

“I don’t get any grief from anyone about being from Ohio,” Failor said. “They all consider me an Alaskan now.”

The 31-year-old got his start through Peter North, a high school friend at St. Peter’s. North told Failor of his experience working summers as a dog handler for Icefield Expeditions in Skagway, Alaska. Failor, an Eagle Scout and longtime outdoorsman, was intrigued and landed a job at Gold Rush Sled Dog Tours in 2006.

“Dog handlers scoop poop. Lots of it. Tend to the dogs, make sure things run smoothly, the silent knights of the dog mushing world,” Matt Failor said. “I had a great time, thoroughly enjoyed the dogs and my coworkers, and loved the outdoor work environment.”

Two more summers of dog handling led to a startling career decision.

“Matt Hayashida — Iditarod racer, friend, and at that time Manager of Gold Rush Sled Dog Tours — told me to come up and experience the winter side of dog mushing and help him prepare his team for Iditarod ’08,” Failor said. “He bought my plane ticket and I was back to AK to experience a winter for the first time.”

It wasn’t pleasant. The average winter temperature in Willow, Alaska, (where Failor now lives) is 20- to 40-below zero. He has no electricity or running water, saying it’s appropriate his high school mascot was the Spartans.

Still, Matt Failor eventually moved from handler, assisting musher and mentor Martin Buser, to a manager at the Gold Rush camps. That salary bump allowed him to become an Iditarod participant, and he’s shown remarkable progress each year.

As a rookie in 2012, Matt Failor finished 47th. He was 28th in 2013. Last month, working with his own dogs on the 975-mile course from Anchorage to Nome, he shocked many by shaking off frostbite in his fingers to finish 15th among 70 competitors.

“Matt is very competitive, he’s athletic,” said his father Tim Failor, athletic director at St. Peter’s. “He’s a bit of an overachiever. Some would call him stubborn, I call it focus. You need all of that.

“But the Iditarod and dog driving requires more ... You have to be the coach of an Iditarod team. You have to be a good coach/trainer. The dogs and the driver must develop mutual respect and interdependence. Your team has to listen to and fulfill your commands. They have to trust that you know what you are doing. That is coaching and I think that is certainly one of Matthew’s strengths.”

The Iditarod now has become a way of life for Matt Failor. He’s starting his own kennel, the 17th Dog, and raising his own dogs for the race. A musher can only take 16 dogs on the Iditarod, so his family, fans and sponsors represent the 17th Dog.

“I don’t raise dogs to sell,” Matt Failor said. “I am breeding the dogs, then I plan to raise them and train them for my own team.”

It’s a huge commitment, much like a farmer responsible for daily milking chores and overseeing livestock.

“There is no 9 to 5, no weekends off,” Matt Failor said. “Work is life. Life is work.”

Finances are a significant concern, too. Matt Failor pocketed $20,000 for his 15th-place finish but equipment, dog food, and vet bills will eat up at least half that total quickly.

So Matt Failor, with help from his sister Katie working the social media angle in Ohio, constantly is searching for sponsors.

“We talk almost every other day on the phone to update each other about dogs and sponsors,” Matt Failor said. “She is my manager, although she won’t admit to that. Without her, I wouldn’t have been able to become this successful either, she has really helped a ton with the online, social aspect of the team.”

Social media is breeding Iditarod fans, and Matt Failor is one of their favorites. Among his online followers are the Cleveland Browns Backers, a helicopter company based in Juneau and many others across the lower 48 states.

In 2013, one of Matt Failor’s fans from Florida sent him a pizza at a checkpoint during the race. That lady died, but others from Texas decided to continue the tradition this year. Unfortunately, Matt Failor blew through the checkpoint before the pie arrived but it was gratefully devoured by those choking on his dust.

“The lady’s name is Nicole from Texas,” Matt Failor said. “Allie Marie bought me pizza last year. She said she’d watched me on tracker and I was her favorite racer. It was such a nice gesture from Florida, 5,000 miles away.”

That precisely is the pull of the Iditarod. It’s called the “Last Great Race.” For Matt Failor, the Iditarod has become a lifetime adventure.

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Matt will be at Mansfield Malabar School’s auditorium at 9:30 a.m. April 22 giving an Iditarod presentation. There mostly will be school children but all are welcome free of charge.

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The Iditarod is a 975-mile trail goes north in even-numbered years and south in odd-numbered years. Both sections of trail are a part of the Iditarod National Historical Trail, which was used in early years for all winter travel. Dog sleds delivered the mail, the preacher, the groceries and hauled out gold and furs all the way to Anchorage or Fairbanks.